Meaning & use
Yom Kippur
Last updated
Meaning
proper nounproper
The Jewish Day of Atonement, a solemn autumn holiday of fasting and prayer for forgiveness.
Grammar: Used as a name, so it takes no article: 'Yom Kippur begins at sunset.'
Patterns
- observe Yom Kippur
- on Yom Kippur
- Yom Kippur begins/ends
Many Jewish people fast from sunset to sunset on Yom Kippur.
The synagogue was full for the Yom Kippur service.
She apologized to her friend before Yom Kippur.
Common combinations
- observe Yom Kippur
- They observe Yom Kippur with a full day of fasting.
- Yom Kippur service
- The Yom Kippur service lasted several hours.
- on Yom Kippur
- The streets are quiet on Yom Kippur.
- break the fast after Yom Kippur
- Families gather to break the fast after Yom Kippur.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Day of Atonement
- The English name for the same holiday; it is more descriptive but less commonly used in everyday speech.
Commonly confused: Yom Kippur or Rosh Hashanah?
Yom Kippur vs Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, which comes about ten days before Yom Kippur; the two are separate holidays.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'Yom Kippur' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Yom Kippur is observed with fasting and prayer, and as a proper name it takes no article. 'Celebrated' suggests a joyful party, which does not fit this solemn day; 'a Yom Kippur' and 'Yom Kippurs' wrongly treat it as a countable noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Yom Kippur”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.